Astronaut Life on the Skylab Workshop Station
The Skylab Workshop Station is by far the most luxurious space station ever built. It is home to currently 130 kerbals (around 70% full), and have occupied the station ever since its launch. The focus of the station is the Workshop Segment, the hub for space science research and technological innovation. It's interior is octagonal in cross section, and has three levels. Interior lights glow in a warm yellow/orange color in the aft, and a pink/blue hue on the front, which creates a soothing and romantic atmosphere. A 3 x 3m square observation module protrudes from the aft/starboard side corner, which provides a vantage point for kerbals living and working in this segment. The Workshop Segment is connected to the Habitation and Science Segment, which features several integrated cylindrical modules that house more living quarters, science laboratories, control modules, and computer servers. Crew reviews remain a very high 99.98471% rating throughout the years on nominal periods. Even during problematic times, the design of the space station interior proved itself multiple times to be an excellent success. Station Time The Skylab space station time is set by the administrative mission control centers in the United States and Brazil, as Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5). A typical day in the life of Skylab crew Morning The Skylab astronauts typically wake up at 7:30 am on working days (Mon-Fri), and at any time during the weekends. The crew can use the bathroom, freshen-up, and have a morning workout for a few minutes before having breakfast at 8am 08:00 At 8 am, kerbals have the opportunity to eat breakfast, cooked up by the lovely space chefs on the station. They can have scrambled, boiled or fried eggs, hash browns, baked beans, with liquid pepper seasoning, and pieces of fruit like oranges, apples, pears; or the traditional rice crispies or weetabix cereal in a sealed container. 08:45 After breakfast, the crew then head to their computer stations in the workshop segment or the science labs, where they talk to mission control employees via Skype about various jobs for the day. Some crew will gather into the Communal Meeting Module for teleconferences on the station, which can last 15 mins tops. Other times, crew who finish early or on breaks can use this module to chat to each other, to family and friends back on Earth. The module has hammocks, which can be used as temporary sleeping areas if needed. Working day 09:00 - 16:30 By this time, all crew on duty will be working on various fields assigned by mission control on behalf of science and technology companies, universities and organizations who use the station. These usually include: Science Experiments Kerbal scientists and engineers conduct science investigations in fields such as: * General Biology * Life Sciences * Plant Growth * Effects of micro-gravity on stuff, from cells and food, to computers and printing technology. * Earth Observations: utilizing cameras to take pictures of various places on Earth like cities, mountains, rivers, forests, deserts, oceans, coasts, polar regions, volcanoes, aurora, etc. * Combustion experiments, involving the use of a glove-box and enclosed flames or electric arcs. * Chemical development experiments * Marine life studies: utilizing the Aquarium sciences module where marine scientists can study the effects of space on fish and marine animals in special fish tanks. * Crystal growth * Geology * Celestial and solar observations * Space radiation experiments * Magnetic field studies. Technological Technological assignments are best suited for engineers, physicists, and computer experts. They can involve a wide range of exciting projects, for example: * Computer-Aided Design (CAD) work on computers, such as Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, 3ds Max, Sketchup, and Blender. * Earth and Space Manufacturing * 3D printing * Engineering techniques * Architectural design * In-space assembly of machine parts * Product design and development, for future space missions and Earth applications Information Technology On the third level in the Workshop Segment is the main computer and IT area, where kerbals use lots of computers and printers to do various Technological and Scientific stuff, that requires a computer to complete. These exciting activities include: * Physics simulations * Animation * Video editing and making * Internet surfing for general research * YouTube tutorials * Up-links and down-links of NASA and other space agency information * Image cataloging and processing * Software development and programming Computers All the Workshop Segment computers consist of a white monitor, keyboard and mouse. The keyboard and mouse are secured to the desks, with magnets to keep them floating away and getting tangled. The desks are made from wood panels, with a steel sheet layer on the upper surface, covered with wood like veneer. The computers run a variety of operating systems: Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 10, Linux, and Mac OS X. The computer monitors are connected via HDMI cables running through the desk and internal ducts to computer drive tower banks on each floor, and are about the size of a small refrigerator. These are filled with fiber optic cables, individual RAM chips and local drives, and serve as a local storage network node for every associated monitor. The drive bank towers have larger underfloor cables, that connect to the Server Module, which is designed to store, record and transmit hard drive data, and more importantly back it up. Astronauts each have their own user login for the network, consisting of a username (made up of the first and last name, and expedition number) and a custom password. They can easily log in to their personal accounts, and can freely browse the web without any unnecessary restrictions. Kerbals can freely store their data on the drive network, and a fail-safe saving mechanism activates the file back-up once every 300 seconds. Printers and photocopiers (both inkjet and laser) are readily available on the space station, providing the crew with quick and easy printing usage. Breaks Every two working hours during a working day, all crew are recommended to have 20 minute breaks, to ease the workload and maintain crew health and morale. During this time, they can float to the windows to observe the Earth, play video games, chat to other crew members in other areas of the station, read a book, or chat to family and friends on the ground via the computers. There's four large side-by-side refrigerators, stocked up with lots of food, drinks and snacks. The refrigerators are located at the computer area, dining area, lounge, and the science area. Crew are more then welcome to help themselves to refreshments, such as grape juice, tacos, cookies, fruit, and more; and are advised to take only one portion or item each during his or her break; as the space station has to have enough food for at least 170 kerbals, and maintain a consistent resupply rate interval of three months. The fridges are also used to store breakfast, lunch and dinner meals in ingredient form, and are prepared on site by the space chefs. Lunch 12:00 - 13:30 See also: Cooking on the Skylab Workshop Station At this time is where the crew have lunch meals. A minimum of two chefs (currently aboard are Cheryl Hobbs and Chef Andrea) gather ingredients from refrigerators and greenhouse plants, as well as frozen food in the kitchen. The food is cooked in a special kitchen compartment located on the floor of the Workshop Segment. The lunch menu rotates every 14 days, and features different dishes from around the world, but mostly sticks around the traditional American, European, Argentine, and Brazilian cuisine. The meals are served individually in batches, where each astronaut greatly collects it (and always thanks the chefs every time); and have the opportunity to enjoy their meals free-floating around, or more commonly return to their desks or the lounge to eat it there. They have 1.5 hours lunch break total. Afternoon 16:30 At the end of the work shift, kerbals have the option to chat to mission control to discuss task closeout options, or next day procedures. This may last up to 10 minutes, and afterward, the astronauts have the entire evening off! 16:45 From now until dinner time at 18:30 (6:30 pm) station time (and afterward), the crew can relax and chill out, and in their own interests do several hobbies or free time stuff, such as: * Floating around, doing in-space acrobatics like 'cart wheels'. * Taking photographs of cities and landscapes down on Earth. * Simply admiring out the windows * Reading lots of space books (and other types of books), which are provided in lots of bookshelves throughout Skylab. * Playing video games, such as Portal 2, GTA-5, Minecraft, Coach-Bus simulator, Half-Life series, etc. * Practical games like floating household objects or passing them around, such as books, unused paperwork, and space darts (using a blunt object such as a spent battery or Rubik's cube attached to a paper fin). * General conversations * Catching up with extracurricular science work, or helping others around with station maintenance. * Talking to families and friends back on Earth. * Watching TV, e.g. Rossen Reports, ABC news, Mr Bean, documentaries, sports, How It's Made, etc. * Watching YouTube videos (e.g. 'TheOriginalHDChannel' - where appliances such as printers, computers, TVs, heaters, bug zappers and vacuum cleaners get smashed by a golf club while powered on!). * Movie streaming on Netflix and/or Amazon Prime. Memberships are already paid for by the space agency managers for the crew (total annual budget $14 million). * Cooking ready-meals snacks in the microwave. * Browsing the web or doing personal hobby projects. * Exercise workouts Dinner Main article: Cooking on the Skylab Workshop Station 18:30 - 19:45 During this time, the space chefs prepare dinner meals. Like lunchtime, they gather chilled or frozen ingredients from fridges, and dry ingredients from containers stashed in large box-shaped containers on the first level of the workshop segment. Fruit and veg from the greenhouses are collected at 5:15pm (17:15) from the greenhouse laboratory crawler-way for preparation. Dinner foods are hand-assembled and cooked in special electric space ovens. The dinner menu is highly delicious and has the widest range of items that rotate randomly. These are served on special trays that can hold up to two kilograms of food for one person servings, to ensure that the food supply lasts until the next resupply mission. The various international cuisines cooked up on the space station feature delicious Brazilian, Argentine, American, Spanish, Mexican, Italian, African, Indian, Canadian, Oceanic, British, Chinese and Japanese dishes. The international astronauts and/or their families and friends send up the precise recipes to the space station chefs, to ensure that each menu item is prepared and served according to their native quality standards - which boosts morale and satisfaction. Cargo vehicles like the HTV, Cygnus and Progresso Spacecraft bring up to 8 tons of food each per mission, and the Space Shuttles can deliver up to 17 tons of food, water and drink supplies to Skylab. These are stored in large containers in the Workshop Segment, the four side-by-side refrigerators, and personal food items in the living quarters in the Habitation and Science Segment. After collecting each meal, the astronauts always remember to give lovely thanks and compliments to the hard-working space station Chefs, and the quality of the food. The crew usually eat their meals on the trays or plates magnetically attached to the computer desks, or freely floating in the lounge (where they can group together for dinner conversations) or the habitation segment and sleeping quarters. They're trained to take care when handling food sauces and liquids, to ensure they do not freely float around and stain clothes, walls, or enter fans which can damage equipment. As an added measure, the foods that include liquids (sauces, gravies, etc) are made to be very sticky or highly viscous, so that it secures 'glues' large items like potatoes and cooked meats to the tray or plate, and the eating utensils (cutlery - knives and forks). Evening 19:45 - 23:00 In the evening, just like after work and before dinner, the crew can do whatever they wish. Movies The evening is usually at this time where the crew can watch a movie in large groups, and sometimes can eat their dinner at the same time. The hosting site is Netflix and Amazon Prime, annually subscribed by the space agency. The crew can watch a wide range of movies, such as: * The Fugitive * Apollo 13 * Die Hard * Die Hard 2 * Independence Day * Star Trek series * Air Force One * Falling Down * 2012 * Titanic * White House Down * The Terminator * Terminator 2: Judgement Day * Olympus has Fallen * Monsters Inc. * Hulk * Avengers * It - Chapter one, and It - Chapter Two * Executive Action * Challenger: the Untold Story * Interstellar * The Day After Tomorrow * Lord of the Rings * Green Harvest * Expedition Eve * The Space Party Sleeping on Skylab 21:00 or 23:00 — 07:30 next day Before retiring to their sleeping compartments, the crew freshen up and have the opportunity to take quick space showers (on a timer) and brush their teeth. Each crewmember has their own toothbrush and flossing kit (provided by their space agency) but shares 10 toothpaste tubes (for the 120+ occupants) on the station. There's enough oral supplies for the duration of the expedition. There are only three sinks on-board the station (other than the numerous wipes and water outlets), so crew have to take turns brushing, and 'ejecting' (spitting out) spent liquids. After brushing and fleshing up or showers, the crew can head to their sleeping compartment. There are space pajamas on-board the station for all the crew. However there's only 24 dedicated 'dorm' rooms on-board the station. The rest (and majority) of the crew have to use sleeping bags tied to the walls or ceilings of the Habitation and Science Segment and the Workshop Segment. Because in space there is no need for pillows or any mattress, it is perfectly comfortable sleeping while freely floating around, but this is generally avoided out of concern of bumping into sensitive equipment. The sleeping bags each have their crew names Velcro-attached to the upper side, and a suitcase-sized fabric bag for personal items and belongings. String straps attach the sleeping bag to handrails throughout the space station. The ambient noise of Skylab is a relatively relaxing white humming noise, so crew can sleep almost anywhere. Some crew head to bed at 9pm in their own decision, but mandatory lights out occur at 11pm. Originally for the first expedition, the station was operated in rotating shifts that span 24 hours of operation (i.e. no set bedtimes or lights out), but this was quickly scrapped due to morale and health concerns for the crew, and the lifespan of the machinery. 90 minutes before lights out, mission control programs the station computer to automatically switch all station lights in the Habitation and Science Segment to 'dim mode' where they emit a warm yellow color (2700K color temp). After lights out, all main lights turn off automatically. Computers left unattended (not logged out) will automatically enter sleep mode and turn off. Servers however run continuously. By 23:10 (11:20 pm) all crew should be asleep during the working days. On weekends they can go to sleep or stay up whatever they wish; but without main lighting, for an individual the experience of floating around in a space station that is almost completely dark inside is quite entertaining. Obviously despite being the station sleeping time set by the mission control, the station continues to orbit the Earth every 90 minutes, and the sun rises and sets every 45 minutes. To avoid this sunlight confusion on the crew's 'body clock', window shutters and curtains are generally drawn, and/or eye covers are used. The crew have a minimum of 8 hours of sleep hard-built into the station timetable, and wake up at 07:30 (7:30 am) the next day on working days. Sleeping compartments The twenty-four sleeping compartments 'dorms' aboard the Skylab Workshop Station are located in the Zenith Habitation Module, and the Core Habitation Module. They consist of a pineapple-wedge-shaped room about the size of a large walk-in closet (the rooms are arranged in a circle inside the modules). The sleeping compartments have a single cozy space bed, with a blue quilt (duvet blanket) and pillow (even though these are not necessary in space), three IKEA style storage drawers, a desk lamp, lights, a privacy entrance door; and in 8 of the rooms - a 'porthole' circular window, providing great views of the Earth in space, and the space station. The windows have circular curtains for light blockage during sleeping hours. All the compartments have a radio and intercom system (known as an Audio Terminal Unit or ATU) so that crew can talk to mission control, or to each other with the push of a button. The interior of all the habitation modules is lined with quilted fabric padding and/or felt, to make the interior cozier as well as noise blockages. It is also treated with a special chemical that is waterproof, to avoid staining should any food floating around come in contact with the material. Vents that connect air conditioning units are present in every compartment, and can't be turned off - but the temperature can be adjusted via a thermostat (from 16*C to 25*C). The units can't be turned of as because in space exhaled carbon dioxide tends to float around the head, which can be dangerous, and must be well ventilated. Bathroom facilities, water recycling and waste management During the working time, and before/after, the crew can relieve themselves using the station's six space toilets - two located in the Workshop Segment, and four in the Habitation and Science Segment. The space toilets resemble an airplane toilet which uses powerful suction for number two, and a hose pipe vacuum for number 1. Like on the real International Space Stationhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCjH3k5gODI, urine (which is 95% water) is sent through a highly-advance filtration and purification sytem, that uses high-energy ultraviolet light and iodine-based disinfectant to remove waste and kill bacteria. The resulting fresh-water is actually cleaner than most tap water on Earth, and is recycled back into station drinking water supply. The system is so efficient that three tons of water can be recycled over and over for over 8 months for a crew of 100. The system is regularly topped up with frequent space shuttle and cargo vehicle trips. For number two, the waste (referred to as 'black paste') is sent through pipes to a waste-to-energy incinerator in an external machine located on the outside of the station. From here the methane gas (originally from, and together with the black paste) is burned at 1100*C in a special chamber to produce electricity, and the leftover waste is therefore jettisoned out into space. Crew use high-strength disinfectant wipes to do business, and this waste is also incinerated along with the 'black paste'. The toilet compartments have a powerful air filtration system and air fresheners to keep odors contained. Launch Arrival New expedition crews arrive via the Soyuz-Laptop, Soyuz-Atlantis or the Space Shuttle orbiters. The approach and docking sequence aboard the Skylab space station begins as follows: Approach Inside the space station, the commander gives the go-ahead for the engineering and navigation crew to observe the spacecraft or space shuttle from the cupola modules. They use handheld laser range finders to determine the distance from the station the spacecraft is orbiting. 30 minutes before docking, the Mission Control Center hands over primary communication to the Skylab commander to manage the approach. Space Shuttles perform a fly-around maneuver around the space station, where the shuttle 'orbits' the space station, allowing the on-board crew take pictures of the exterior architecture. Crews in the station's cupola modules also take photographs of the shuttle for documentation. Fly-around maneuvers last up to 19 minutes, where at the end the vehicle lines up with target docking port. At this time, the station crew prepares the hatch area by removing any stray bungee cords and stowage bags normally kept in that region when not in use. The Space Shuttle orbiter and Soyuz-Atlantis spacecraft can dock at any of the space station's Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMA) which has the international standard APAS docking port. For Soyuz-Laptop, Cygnus and Progresso spacecraft - which have the much larger Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) ports, they can only dock at the zenith of the US Odyssey Laboratory Module, Node 3, or the Aquarius Musical Laboratory. Docking The approaching spacecraft manages the docking by itself, including some cargo spacecraft such as the Cygnus. Other craft require remote control assistance from Mission Control, or grappling via the Canadian robotic arm. The Skylab station crewmembers monitor their progress from the windows and tracking display computers. Hatch Opening Upon docking, the station crew announce to mission control that a hard dock and mechanical capture are confirmed. At the same time, indicator lights on a nearby control panel that display the state of pressure between the two hatches should illuminate to green, as the space between the two ports is pressurized to 14.5 psi. When the lights turn green, mission control instructs the commander to open the station hatch to the spacecraft or space shuttle. At this time, about 15-20 crew gather to the module where the spaceship is docked to, and turn on news cameras, film and digital cameras and lights, for the media on the ground can watch the event live on TV. Finally the crew inside the spacecraft or shuttle turn handles that unlocks the latches to open the hatch, and grew greetings commence. The greetings are always streamed live, which often grab millions of views. From there the new crew exchange hugs and cheers, and a warm welcome onboard the Skylab Workshop Station is announced by the current commander. Next, the new crew also bring out their stuff and items that were launched with them. They check-in into their sleeping areas, which are pre-booked in advance during their training. This usually lasts no more than an hour. Check-in and briefing After checking in with their respective sleeping compartment or area, and personal belongings stowed, new expedition crews have a briefing with the station commander and teleconference with Mission Control in the Communal Meeting Module, or the lounge of the Workshop Segment. They'll discuss and review their launch and journey to the space station, and are assigned their computer login accounts, work slots, and the current menu for the day. This usually lasts no more than 30 minutes. The briefing is immediately followed with a detailed tour of the space station, where their guide can be any astronaut with at least 100 days of station experience. This tour lasts over an hour, and is divided in teams of 8 astronauts each. They will usually cover the modules (including interior features and facilities, sounds, etc); station life techniques aboard, and importantly the emergency action protocol. Once all this done, the crew have the remaining day off, but the docking and arrival date will vary depending on the mission, and following workdays and events are planned accordingly: * Docking and arrival between 00:00 and 06:30 will commence as usual up until check-in, where the crew are quickly briefed on bathroom facilities, before heading to bed to get sleep. The mission control briefing, computer setup and tour will commence in the morning at 10:00 am. * Docking and arrival between 06:31 and 12:00 will commence as normal and complete in one shot. * Docking and arrival between 12:01 and 16:30 will commence as normal up until the briefing, where it's delayed by a meal break, then resumes as normal in one shot. * Docking and arrival between 16:31 '''and '''22:30 will commence as normal up until the briefing, where it's delayed by the dinner break and exercise, then resumes as normal. * Docking and arrival between 22:31 '''and '''23:59 '''will commence as usual up until check-in, where the crew are quickly briefed on bathroom facilities, before heading to bed to get sleep. The mission control briefing, computer setup and tour will commence the next morning at 8:00 am. Once all check in and briefings are complete, the working day is scheduled the next day to give crew time to recover from 'space jet lag', and on weekends (i.e. a crew docks on Friday or Saturday evening), the working days will commence the next Monday. Departure and Return to Earth Prep * 30 hours before undocking, a departing crew will first upload and down-link transfer all their computer user files (including personal files such as photos and software) to the NASA servers at Houston, ready for collection upon return to Earth via hard drive. * 20 hours before undocking, the crew will check-out from their sleeping compartments and move all their stuff, name tags and souvenirs into the departure spacecraft (the Space Shuttle, Soyuz-Laptop or Soyuz-Atlantis). At the same time, their spacecraft is activated and on-board systems turned on (i.e. life support, guidance computers, etc), which can take up to four hours. * Five hours before undocking, station-to-spacecraft power is disconnected, where the departure spacecraft is fully self-sustaining and ventilation systems activated. * Three hours before undocking, the departing expedition crew will gather in the Workshop Segment's open space and have a TV live stream conference with the ground, where they'll cover highlights of the expedition mission that is about to be concluded, and best wishes for a safe return to Earth. The station commander will be present, and depending on the mission, makes a special announcements for the next commander to take over, and traditionally hands over authority to his/her selected individual upon the ringing of a special bell aboard the station. * Two hours before undocking, the departing crew bid the others farewell, and exchange hugs and take a few last pictures with the rest of the crew staying behind. After this, the departing astronauts head over to their spacecraft and strap in. * 90 minutes before undocking, the station crew closes the hatch separating the station and the departing spacecraft, and ensure that there are no leaks by checking the rubber sealing gasket. The crew inside the spaceship conduct the same thing - closing their spacecraft hatch and checking leaks. * 40 minutes before undocking, the station crew begin to depressurize the docking space between the two hatches, by pressing a button that releases a valve to let the air out. This process can take up to half an hour, to allow sensors to monitor the pressure and any possible leaks that could cause a catastrophic cabin depressurization. Once everything checks out, the control panel lights in the Skylab Command Module illuminate green and safe to undock. Undocking # Once depressurization is completed in the docking space, the Mission Control Center gives the go-ahead for the crew to initiate the undocking. For manned spacecraft a push button in the space shuttle or Soyuz-Laptop control module is pressed to release (open) the hooks that firmly secure the docking rings joining the two vehicles. # After around three to four minutes, the hooks are fully opened, and the spacecraft is no longer firmly attached to the station. Next a set of mechanical pushers gently ease the spacecraft away from the station at a velocity of 5-12 cm/s. # After around a minute or two, the crew inside the Soyuz or Space Shuttle can take over and activate the reaction control thrusters (RCS) to move the vehicle away from the station at a faster rate. # At this time, the crew can perform another fly-around to take pictures, before initiating instructions by mission control to perform the various burns to reduce the orbital altitude of the spacecraft relative to the space station, and then later performing the de-orbit burn and return to Earth. Emergencies Introduction Skylab's operational history has for the majority passed quite smoothly, but obviously operating a space station in Low Earth Orbit comes not without risk or incident. Ever since the idea conception of the Skylab Workshop Station on December 24, 1978, Raphael J. Chryslar planned out all the possible risks that could occur if the project was given the thumbs up. Today, every new and returning astronaut that boards the space station are briefed on the risks and the emergency protocol that must be acted accordingly and swiftly. Chryslar is well known for his safety when it comes to space exploration and design, especially in his famous quote: "When it comes to running big projects, Crew Safety is always Paramount!" Action Protocol Below is a quick introduction to various emergency action protocols stated on the official Skylab Workshop Station Operations Manual. * '''Power Failure: if a power failure or blackout occurs on the station, the first thing that illuminates are the photo-luminescent strip markings located on the walls of all modules, and the decals on the containers in the Workshop Segment. These provide navigation references for the crew to locate the cause of the blackout and rectify the problem. EVA contingency plans are possible even without power. The space station commander is responsible for leading the investigation and resolution; as well as for the crew crew to ensure order and co-operation. Life support systems must be checked first, followed by the fuel cells and nuclear reactor. Emergency back-up power for mission critical machines such as the station gyro-controls, control computers and carbon dioxide scrubbers is provided by a fail-safe fuel cell with a solar array and a radioisotope thermal electric generator. If power cannot be restored after 174 hours (7.4 days), a mandatory station evacuation must be initiated by the commander, where a fleet of standby space shuttles will be quickly launched to pick up the crew. * Onboard Fire: the risk of fire is relatively intermediate. All computers and electrics have built-in fireproofing materials and emergency shutdown buttons. Should a fire occur, fire extinguishers are available throughout the station, which are often the class C (electrical) extinguisher. A minimum of six for the Workshop Segment, and Two in each module in the Habitation and Science Segment. They must be stored in a compartment with clear indications, and if used or soon to expire, must be swiftly replaced. Maintenance Maintaining the Skylab Workshop Station (like any long-duration spacecraft) is a never ending responsibility for the crew, commander, and ground control. There are numerous on-board systems that require regular maintenance, as well as the station itself. Other maintenance activities involve usual cleaning and re-supplies of food, water, lithium hydroxide CO2 scrubbers, recycling and trash removal. With the installation of the ITUS (Integrated Truss Utillity Structure), these usual chores will become less tedious. Below is a list of brief maintenance activities that are carried out reguarly aboard the space station: Station control computers * Software updates downloaded via ground staff at mission control centers, onto laptops and computers that monitor and control the Space Station's attitude and position, orbit altitude and velocity. * These updates are required for upcoming solar activity (that governs orbital decay rate), attitude control gyroscopes (that point the station in the right orientation), centre-of-mass changes with the addition of new modules and the arrival of visiting space shuttles and other vehicles, and finally station keeping fuel sensors that keep an eye on the level in the tanks. Food, Water and Crew Utilities * Food is routinely delivered in every space shuttle mission to the Skylab space station, as well as the other visiting vehicles (Cygnus, Progresso, HTV, and future cargo spacecraft). A food resupply mission interval (regardless of delivery spacecraft) must be no shorter than 47 days for a total crew of 150. * Water is also delivered using space shuttle flights and other spacecraft, but to a lesser interval (roughly every 4 months in batches of 6,000 to 7,400 L of water), as the resource is constantly recycled and circulated in the reclamation and purification systems. The water is typically transported in large storage containers or giant plastic bags wrapped in cloth covering for durability. Upon loading into the space station, a valve connected to pipes pumps the water into storage tanks located in racks throughout the station, and soon-to-be installed Integreated Truss Utillity Structure. * Utillites for the crew include personal bathroom items (such as toothpase and brushes, towels, soaps + sponges, etc) are delievered in bags with every new crew member when they launch to the station. Like all resupply missions, replenishing items like toothpaste and high-strength disinfectant wipes (for toilet buisness) are launched reguarly in large quantities. The space station does indeed have space showers (enclosed compartments with a fine water shower on a timer), where soaps are dispensed from containers that are refilled from soap bags. Conventional trash is stored in a logisics module located on the Habitation and Science Segment's International Modular Section. Disposable cargo vehicles like the Cygnus and Progresso are filled with trash bags before undocking and blowing up in the Earth's atmosphere. Computer and Office equipment * All the computers in the Skylab Workshop Station use hard disk drives to store data. Every so-often, the crew run disk clean-up programs to ensure that the drives are free of unneccesary files that could cause corruption or software issues. * Servers also require dust cleaning, filters changed, and security updates every two months. * Office equipment such as paper are replenished in packages (or reams) that are delivered together with replacement ink cartridges and toner cartridges in the ESA Cygnus and Progresso spacecraft. * Inkjet printer heads and laser printer rollers have to be cleaned, aligned and checked every week, as the demand for printing out science paperwork, station flight manuals and personal pictures is high. Care is taken very seriously when handling cartriges full of printer toner, as any spillage or breakage can be hazardous in the weightless of space. As an added measure, the catridges are specialy designed to be airtight and durable by the computer company IBM. Extra-Vehicular Activity * Probably the most exciting (and ironically stressful) maintenance operation is an Extravehicular Activity (EVA — also known as a spacewalk). Crews put on spacesuits and exit the airlock to carry out repairs on station elements such as the exterior steel hull of the modules, solar arrays, and glass inspection. Exposed science experiments are routinely checked-on, as well as changing of light bulbs of the multi-color external illuminator fixtures on the space station. These EVAs typically last no more than four hours at a time, and astronauts can move around very easily thanks to their nitrogen-powered 'jetpacks'. Astronauts use a special screwdriver gun or welding tool to do their work, and are assisted via an internal communications headset connected to mission control. See also * Skylab II Power Failures * Workshop Segment * Habitation and Science Segment * Commander of the Skylab Workshop Station * Space Shuttle Orbiter * Soyuz-Laptop References